Turkish stuffed eggplant

Pull the leaves off each eggplant and take exactly four equally spaced peels down it: the bottom peel lets it sit flat, the top peel is where the belly gets split.

Set them in a baking dish brushed with olive oil and bake in the centre of a 400 degree oven 45 minutes to an hour, until they feel soft and spongy but are not collapsing.

Brush them with a little olive oil to shine the skins and let them cool enough to handle.

Saute the large onion in olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat with a big pinch of salt, past translucent until it takes on golden brown colour.

Add a pound of ground lamb and break it up with a spatula into small pieces until it browns.

Add the crushed garlic, black pepper, a touch of cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, a pinch of dry rosemary, a squeeze of tomato paste and salt at about a teaspoon per pound of meat; stir and cook about two minutes to wake up the spices.

Stir in the diced chili peppers and cook three or four minutes, only until they barely get tender, since they cook again in the oven.

Turn off the heat and cool about 10 minutes, then stir in a handful of finely grated sheep's milk cheese and taste for seasoning.

Cut down the middle of the peeled strip on top of each eggplant about three quarters of the way through, not to the bottom, and pull it open with two spoons, scooping out any excess seeds.

Spoon the filling in as evenly as possible, pressing and packing it gently so the eggplant does not burst.

Optionally decorate the tops with extra pepper strips, then drizzle the tops with olive oil.

Pour about a cup of chicken broth into the dish and bake at 400 about 45 minutes, until a knife pierces the eggplant flesh with virtually no resistance.

Serve with the pan drippings spooned over; rice and a yogurt sauce are the traditional accompaniment.